The present invention is generally related to barbecue grills and parts therefor and more particularly is related to an adjustable searing grate.
When preparing foods on barbecue grills, especially meats, it is often desirable to sear the outer surfaces of the foods early in the cooking process. By searing the outer surfaces of the foods, it is possible to seal in the naturally occurring juices of the foods as well as any marinade that may have been applied to the foods prior to cooking. Not too infrequently, foods prepared without searing tend to become xe2x80x9covercooked,xe2x80x9d or too dry.
Some prior art grates for use with barbecue grills are inadequate for the searing function. Typical prior art grates comprise a series of laterally spaced wires, positioned to support food products a given distance above a heat source while preventing the majority of food products from passing between the wires. Typically, these wires are circular in cross section, resulting in a very small portion of the food product actually contacting the surface area of the wires. As such, a very small portion of the outer surface of the food product is potentially seared. Because the amount of searing that can occur on these common prior art grates is minimal, it proves useless for keeping the food products moist throughout the remainder of the cooking process.
Attempts to compensate for the lack of searing that occurs with prior art grates include searing the food products with the heat source, i.e. the flames, and then moving the food products to a cooler portion of the grate surface. Numerous problems exist with this method of searing food products. To use this method of searing, typically, the barbecue grill must be heated to a level that is undesirable for cooking. Therefore, after searing the food products, the grill temperature must be lowered for effective cooking. This poses a significant problem for those using standard charcoal briquettes. Even when a gas or an electric grill is used, there is lag time between adjusting the grill controls and having the temperature of the grill actually reduced to an acceptable cooking temperature.
Another problem that exists with using high heat to sear food products is that it requires heightened attention from the user grilling food. In addition, because of the increased temperatures used to sear the food products with this method, flare-ups are a constant and increased possibility. Undoubtedly, many food products have been accidentally ruined when using high heat for searing.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an adjustable searing grate for a barbecue grill. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the apparatus can be implemented as follows. An adjustable searing grate for a barbecue grill comprises a cooking surface and an outrigger device. The cooking surface comprises a plurality of searing wires arranged in a substantially parallel configuration and at least one longitudinal member disposed substantially perpendicularly to the plurality of searing wires. Each of the plurality of searing wires has a substantially oval cross-section. The longitudinal member supports the plurality of searing wires. The outrigger device is adapted to slidably engage the cooking surface. The outrigger device is slidably fixed along one of the plurality of searing wires and the longitudinal member in order to adjust a dimension of the adjustable searing grate.
Other systems and methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.